reloading with old powders?
reloading with old powders?
A friend gave me some old powders of various manufacturers. Almost all cans are still sealed. How old is too old and what are the tests to know if it is time for disposal? Many thanks...
Re: reloading with old powders?
Two or three years back I got some powder down from my attic that had been there for 25 years.
Pistol powder (Unique, 2400, Blue Dot, Bullseye) and rifle powder (IMR4198, IMR4895, IMR3031, H332, H334, etc.)
I opened the cans, looked inside with a flashlight. No clumping (powder was still intact in shape/form/color) or discoloration. The smell test smelled like gun powder. I've been told "bad" powder will have a strong ammonia smell, but so far I've not found any that had gone bad so I can't say for sure.
I've used up the Bullseye, the Unique, one can of H110, and all the rifle powder but one can of H332 and the Winchester powders.
No issues with any of the ammo reloaded with that powder.
Further note on my old reloading supplies was that the primers (a 1000 pack each of small pistol, large pistol, small rifle and large rifle - all CCI) worked just as well as new primers, too.
I know my attic is hot as hades in the summer and cold/damp in the winter, but all that stuff survived 25 years up there. I did rotate it to the front of the shelves to make sure I used it up first.
Pistol powder (Unique, 2400, Blue Dot, Bullseye) and rifle powder (IMR4198, IMR4895, IMR3031, H332, H334, etc.)
I opened the cans, looked inside with a flashlight. No clumping (powder was still intact in shape/form/color) or discoloration. The smell test smelled like gun powder. I've been told "bad" powder will have a strong ammonia smell, but so far I've not found any that had gone bad so I can't say for sure.
I've used up the Bullseye, the Unique, one can of H110, and all the rifle powder but one can of H332 and the Winchester powders.
No issues with any of the ammo reloaded with that powder.
Further note on my old reloading supplies was that the primers (a 1000 pack each of small pistol, large pistol, small rifle and large rifle - all CCI) worked just as well as new primers, too.
I know my attic is hot as hades in the summer and cold/damp in the winter, but all that stuff survived 25 years up there. I did rotate it to the front of the shelves to make sure I used it up first.
Re: reloading with old powders?
generally deteriorated powder will have a very strong ammonia smell.
If its old enough to be in metal cans, and the cans are rusty, that would be something else to be suspect of.
Also with a new 1lb of powder worth $20... whats your gun, hand, eyesight worth if the old powder gamble doesn't work out well for you?
I'm not a big fan of old/suspect powders, the risk/reward benefit is tipped way too much to risk.
If its old enough to be in metal cans, and the cans are rusty, that would be something else to be suspect of.
Also with a new 1lb of powder worth $20... whats your gun, hand, eyesight worth if the old powder gamble doesn't work out well for you?
I'm not a big fan of old/suspect powders, the risk/reward benefit is tipped way too much to risk.
Re: reloading with old powders?
This is kind of like Cowboy T and the steel cases... is this something I really need to do? but hey, shtf comes around and I needed to, I'd shoot the hell out of old powder.
Now is the time for all good men to get off their rusty dustys...
Re: reloading with old powders?
My old pistol powder was in those wrapped paper/cardboard cans (Unique and Bullseye, 2400 and a couple cans of H110). The IMR powder is in the nice metal cans and the Winchester powder is in the round metal cans. As I empty them I've been setting them up on a shelf as "antiques". I'll eventually talk the wife into setting them on some book cases/shelves in the house (maybe, then again, maybe not 